Simon Says Die

counting off his fingers. “Once to report that allegedly fake note to the property manager—a note that was typed, with no fingerprints besides the property manager’s . . . and yours.”
    She shook her head in frustration. She was so tired of not being believed. “Mrs. Whitmire showed me the note, so of course my prints were on it.”
    â€œThree times to say someone was watching you,” he continued. “But we never found anyone.”
    â€œIt would help if it didn’t take you thirty minutes to get there when someone called.”
    Pierce stepped behind her and rested his hands lightly on her shoulders, like he had at MacGuffin’s. He was trying to remind her, without words, of the discussion they’d had in his car when they called the police earlier. He’d asked her to be careful, not to do anything to antagonize the police. And she’d promised she would try to keep a rein on her temper.
    She drew in a deep breath and clamped her mouth shut.
    â€œAnother time,” Hamilton continued, “you called to report a threatening note, and a threatening phone call. Again, the note was typed, not handwritten, and only had your fingerprints on it. And the number the call came from couldn’t be traced to anyone.”
    â€œAgain,” she said, using a calm, conversational tone, “my fingerprints were on the note because I’m the one who found it. And even I know, as a civilian, that bad guys can use those throw-away cell phones. No cell phone contract, no way to trace the number. Everyone knows that.”
    â€œHold on,” Pierce said. “What threatening note? What phone call?” He leaned down next to her. “You never told me about those.”
    She felt her face flush. With so much happening, so fast, she’d honestly forgotten about those two incidents. They’d paled next to him getting shot. “It wasn’t on purpose. I forgot.”
    His hands stiffened on her shoulders. Her heart sank as she realized he thought she was lying again.
    Hamilton ticked off another finger. “You called another time because a man you chased apparently feared for his life and shot at you in self-defense. Your actions caused a federal agent to get shot.”
    â€œNow hold on, Hamilton—” Pierce began.
    â€œLet me finish,” he told Pierce, before looking back at Madison. “You reported that someone had stolen photographs from your attic. Once again, we found no evidence of a break-in or that anyone else had been there.”
    â€œYou’re out of line, Lieutenant,” Pierce said.
    Hamilton held out a hand as if to appease him. “I’m just pointing out the way this looks from my side. Based on Mrs. McKinley’s statement a few minutes ago, that she believes her dead husband was in this very house, we entered the home to search for an intruder. Surprise, surprise, we didn’t find anyone. And, lo and behold, no one has reported Mr. Newsome missing either.”
    In spite of her good intentions, Madison couldn’t stand by and listen to Hamilton’s sarcasm anymore. She took a step forward, but Pierce tightened his grip on her shoulders, pulling her back.
    â€œCalm down,” he whispered in her ear. His voice was harsh, radiating anger. Was he beginning to side with Hamilton against her?
    â€œFrom where I stand,” Hamilton said, “the only person causing trouble here is you.”
    Pierce gently shoved her behind his back. “That’s enough.”
    Hamilton held his hands out in a placating gesture. “I’m not trying to be difficult, Agent Buchanan. I’m just pointing out the facts as I see them. I can’t waste any more resources on one woman with a fixation on her dead husband. She needs help, not the kind of help my department can provide. If she calls again, someone had better be dead or dying.”

 
    Chapter Eleven
    M ADISON WAS STILL ticked over Hamilton’s not-so-subtle insult, basically calling her crazy, and threatening to put her in jail. “I told you the police would have arrested me if I’d called them the day of the shooting.”
    She immediately regretted saying anything. Pierce’s jaw tightened and his knuckles whitened on the steering wheel as his car bumped along the dirt road leading to his house. He hadn’t said anything at all to her since the lieutenant’s tirade.
    Was he having the same doubts